A Taste of Wellness for Savoury and Snacks
Givaudan
Efforts to protect Irish food will be eased by a national strategy to train 10,000 food workers each year in safe practices, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported recently.
Through the National Hygiene Partnership, the body behind the strategy and national provider of hygiene training, food workers and managers are being trained to meet the stringent EU legislation on food safety. Courses and training materials can now be accessed through the Partnership's web-site which was launched in November by EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne.
According to the FSAI the human factor features consistently in the top three causes of food safety breaches. In establishing the Partnership the agency hopes that training will lead to changes in the food handling practices.
Language can also be a problem. Apart from the growing number of non-English speakers from EU countries, some 7,000 work permits are now being issued each year for the tourism and hospitality sectors to non-EU workers, predominantly from Eastern Europe and Asia. Recognising the diversity of the workforce, the Partnership now offers hygiene training for food workers in eleven languages.
The National Hygiene Partnership's programmes are supported by the Department of Health and Children and by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. It is a consortium comprising CERT, the Environmental Health Officers Association, the NSAI, IHCI and Excellence Ireland. The new website can be visited at http://www.nhp.ie